Steve Ellner's Blog on Venezuela, Latin America and Beyond

The centralization of ownership of the private media in the United States and elsewhere has become increasingly pronounced, at the same time that its reporting has become increasingly one-sided and monolithic. My blog seeks to expose this lack of objectivity and present alternative ideas that point in the direction of much-needed fundamental change.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

The U.S. Government and Corporate Media: How They Work Hand in Glove

THE U.S. CORPORATE
MEDIA IS INCAPABLE OF PRESENTING AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE
MID-EAST: Glenn Greenwald just co-authored an article that demonstrates how the
well-known Los Angeles Times journalist Ken Dilanian (now with AP) routinely agreed
to write articles to the liking of the CIA and actually cleared them with the
agency and rewrite them if necessary before going to print in return for
exclusive access to information. If this is true, shouldn’t the journalists
lose his license and shouldn’t AP fire him immediately?

Friday, September 26, 2014

COULD IT BE THAT ISIS USED CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN SYRIA?

At this point does
anybody doubt that ISIS has the resources and willpower and is ruthless and
deceptive enough to have used chemical weapons in Syria last year and then
blame the Assad government? The United States came close to bombing Syria after
accusing the Assad government of employing chemical weapons. Why doesn’t the
corporate media revisit that incident in light of what we now know about ISIS?
Conclusion: If you want critical analysis, you’re not going to get it from the
corporate media.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Bombardment of Syria is a flagrant violation of international law

WHAT IS OBAMA BRAGGING
ABOUT WHEN HE TALKS OF THE “COALITION” THAT IS PARTICIPATING IN THE BOMBARDMENT
OF SYRIA? Obama stated today: “America is proud to stand shoulder to
shoulder with these nations on behalf of our common security. The strength of
this coalition makes clear to the world that this is not just America’s fight
alone.”Who are these five governments? Saudi
Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain. Not a democratic one among
them. The government of Bahrain is notorious for its violation of human rights.
The Obama administration blames the Syrian government for the ISIS’ positions in
the country’s north: “The
Syrian regime has shown that it cannot and will not confront these very safe
havens effectively itself,” How incredibly deceptive. The U.S. has provided material
support for those who are lodged in those “safe havens.” It hasn’t been for lack
of effort or interest that the Syrian government hasn’t been able to defeat these
rebels, but rather because of the outside interference by Washington and its allies
(hardly any of which can be considered democratic). The U.S. decision to bomb Syria without requesting
permission from the Syrian government is a flagrant violation of international law.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

LIBERALS HAVE IT ALL WRONG WHEN IT COMES TO GLOBAL WARMING

Naomi Klein, in her recent book “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate,”
makes the point that “the right is right,” that is to say that the right has its
act together, unlike many liberals. The right realized from the outset that the
real solutions to global change clashed with their anti-statist, laissez faire philosophy
and from there they embraced the position of global warming denial. Liberals, on
the other hand, believe that combating global warming can be a win-win situation
with corporations actually benefiting and creating jobs in the process. Klein convincingly
argues that combating global change implies combating capitalist interests, if not
capitalism itself.

THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY HAS TO BE MY FRIEND

Washington is poised to bomb ISIS positions in northern Syria. Given the fact that ISIS is a deadly enemy of the Assad government, why doesn’t the U.S. simply request permission from Damascus to bomb ISIS? U.S. public opinion was opposed to any kind of intervention in Iraq. ISIS’s horrific killing of two U.S. journalists has something to do with the recent shift in public opinion. But it’s also testimony to the effectiveness of the monolithic U.S. media that, following in the footsteps of William Henry Hearst (whose papers blamed Spain for the sinking of the Maine without any evidence whatsoever), is an expert at beating the war drums.

About Me

Steve Ellner has taught economic history at the Universidad de Oriente in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela since 1977. He is the author of numerous books and journal and magazine articles on Venezuela history and politics. He frequently lectures on Venezuela and Latin American political developments in the U.S. and elsewhere. He received his Ph.D. in Latin American history at the University of New Mexico in 1980.